Dry Bite
by Lucky Strike's alter ego
Summary: *Dry Bite: A bite by a venomous animal in which no venom is released.* A collection of one-shots related to my story 'Some Things Never Sleep' which takes place before the snake meets the spider. The one-shots are in no particular order. Lots of fluff but some angst too. No romantic pairings in this story but there is Emma Rogers/Various Avengers (family bonds and friendships).
1. The Pink Rat

**Author's Note: So I'm not really counting this as a new story. This is just a collection of one-shots connected to my Avengers fanfic 'Some Things Never Sleep'. They're just one-shots that will never make it into my story and that I've had lying around for a while so I decided to publish them for fun. I'm still completely focused on 'Some Things Never Sleep' and 'Rose Garden Dreams'. If you haven't read 'Some Things Never Sleep' then I suggest that you do otherwise these one-shots will probably make no sense whatsoever. These One-Shots will take place before Emma meets Peter since I skipped over a lot of things during the course of that story. Some One-Shots may even take place before Emma was born. It depends but I don't think Peter and Emma will be making an appearance together within this story. There will be a lot of One-Shots focusing on the different relationships between Emma and Steve, Emma and Bucky, Emma and Tony, Emma and her parents, and her relationship with the other Avengers. The one-shots will take place in no particular order. I decided to publish this on my birthday but I ended up publishing it at one in the morning so it's not my birthday anymore. I was just wrapped up in birthday celebrations but I'll try to have the next chapter of 'Some Things Never Sleep' out by tomorrow or Monday. We'll see how much I can get done by tomorrow. Thanks and I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think**

* * *

 ** _The Pink Rat: When Tony met Mini Cap_  
**

* * *

 **Location: Rush Springs, Oklahoma**

 **Year: 2001**

Tony didn't want to have a "Family Christmas" like Steven suggested. No, he'd rather curl up with a bottle of scotch and a Brazilian model as his holiday celebration. Of course he'd throw a huge party at his mansion in Malibu beforehand and he might even get so drunk that he'd sing some really bad karaoke but somehow he wasn't in California. He was actually on the other side of the country and Tony could tell that there was definitely no Brazilians models in Oklahoma. The airport he had been in was small and there was no limos to pick him up. He instead settled for some hick who drove a Lincoln Town Car that was twenty years old. It was odd to Tony because the billionaire was used to new things… _expensive_ things. The driver had dropped Tony off on the dusty dirt road, not even bothering to help him with his luggage. As soon as Tony got his suitcase from the backseat, the car drove off. Tony hadn't even tipped the driver…not that Tony thought the driver's service was worth tipping but it wasn't like Tony was cheap. God, he missed Happy.

The thirty one year old man stared at the farmhouse that was about a mile down the road. It was situated on what was perhaps twenty acres of land. He could see a big red barn positioned a ways away from the old looking two story house as well as a rusty old windmill. Tony wrinkled his nose in disgust when he saw all the cows grazing the land. He really hated animals and he especially hated the outdoors. His mother took him to a farm once when he was seven in an attempt to try and normalize him but the visit hadn't gone well. Seven year old Tony Stark had tried to pet one of the pigs when he slipped and fell into pig shit much to amusement of all the adults and other children at the farm. The scent remained in Tony's nose for close to a month and his father had nicknamed him 'Pig Boy'. His father had actually originally nicknamed him 'Pig Shit' but his mother had always banned bad language in the house. From then on, Tony had always had a distaste for farms and the outdoors.

As he began to walk down the road, dragging his suitcase behind him like he was someone lame like Rhodey or Happy, he thought about what brought him here to Oklahoma. Tony couldn't believe he was actually doing this…that he was actually in the middle of bumfuck nowhere to go visit his precious and perfect surrogate older brother. He meant that sarcastically of course because Tony could honestly not stand Steven Rogers Jr. at times but he was doing this because this was what his mother would've wanted. She was always trying to be the mediator, whether it was between Tony and his father or Tony and Steven. The only frustrating thing about Steven was that the older man wouldn't argue with him or dismiss him like his father used to. No, perfect Steven would always just smile at him in that amused way like Tony was still the nine year old kid who ate all the lemon bars the nanny made. Steven would seldom argue back and nothing frustrated Tony more.

It had been over a year since Tony had last seen Steven. The last time had been when Steven introduced Margot to him over dinner. It was also when Steven announced that the two were expecting a child. Tony had been surprised since Steven was in his fifties, after all, but he was also surprised because he knew that Steven had once sworn off children. It was something he overheard(eavesdropped) Steven and his father arguing about when Tony was a teenager. It also came as a surprise when Tony learnt that Steven and Margot got married only about a month or so later. Steven who had never been married in all his decades on this planet but had married a particularly ditzy and bubbly redhead that was almost twenty years his junior. Tony supposed all men went through mid life crisis'…even men who were the offspring of a classic American icon. Which brought a certain woman back to mind. Margot Pierce.

Tony didn't understand Steven's interest in the redhead at first since Tony knew Steven's type which was basically the same type that he had. Beautiful women that they only slept with once or twice before quickly losing interest. Not that he didn't think Margot was beautiful but he thought she was rather cute. Like the kind of cute that your kid's kindergarten teacher was…a kindergarten teacher that you definitely had the hots for. It didn't take long after meeting Margot to know exactly why Steven had fallen for her. The redhead was perhaps the most witty and daring woman that Tony had ever had the pleasure of meeting and in some ways she was even a bit like Peggy Carter. She was also a woman that was completely immune to his charms which fascinated Tony even more. Margot Pierce had a strong distaste for him so you could imagine Tony's surprise when Steven called him up last week saying that both he and Margot wanted him to spend the holidays with them.

Over a year since Tony had met the couple but also about eleven months since Steven and Margot's daughter had been born. Tony hadn't been there for the birth and he hadn't even come down to see the kid since the birth. He only saw the pictures that Steven emailed him which showed what he thought looked like a pink, shriveled up rat. Tony didn't see what the big deal was. People always fawned over babies but he thought babies were kind of ugly. The picture had shown Margot holding the pink bundle in her arms in the hospital bed and Steven kneeling by the bed next to her, the both of them staring at the baby adoringly. Tony almost wanted to puke at how sickeningly happy they all looked.

They apparently named that wrinkled up little rat Emma Margaret Rogers. Emma for some book that Margot was a huge nerd about and Margaret for Steven's mother Peggy. At least it was a name that wouldn't give the kid any trouble in high school. Tony's own name had been relatively normal, although long, but it was more of him being much younger than his peers that got him bullied. Of course, since this kid was the offspring of perfect Steven, she'd probably be one of those annoyingly nice popular kids that you wanted to hate but couldn't because she was perfect…just like her father. Tony finally reached the front porch of the house after walking all the way up the dirt road. He was only thankful that it was December and he didn't have to walk in the blistering heat although it looked like the dirt road had ruined his designer shoes. No big deal…they only cost about as much as this old house that Steven had been slumming it in. Didn't that guy have his father's entire inheritance? What the hell was he doing living on a farm in the middle of nowhere? Tony would never understand Steven Rogers.

"Brat!" Steven greeted as the front door swung opened. Tony was taken back by the older man's sudden appearance but he should've known better. Steven had perfect hearing, didn't he? Tony stared at Steven through the thin screen door which was all that stood between them. He hadn't changed much since Tony had last seen him except for maybe a beard. It was probably the first time Tony had seen a beard on him other than the pictures he had seen of Steven's hippie days but that was before Tony had been born. "Glad to see you've finally made it."

Tony wanted to roll his eyes but he refrained from doing so. Pepper told him to be on his best behavior so that's exactly what he going to attempt to do…for her sake. He always thought that the boss was supposed to give their personal assistant the orders but not where Pepper was concerned. No, Pepper was the one who apparently gave orders and surprisingly Tony listened to her. Well, most of the time he listened to her.

"Yeah, I only had to hike about ten miles." Tony said sarcastically but Steven just smiled at the younger man.

"Always one to exaggerate, Anthony." Steven stated before giving him a knowing look. "Besides…a little fresh air will do you some good. It gets awfully stuffy in that little lab of yours."

"Whatever, Junior." Tony muttered, using Steven's childhood nickname. Obviously Tony and Steven hadn't grown up together, being twenty four years apart, but Steven's childhood nickname had always stuck. Even in his older age. It was a nickname that Tony's own father, along with the Howling Commandos, had affectionately given him. The most affectionate name that Tony's father had given him was, you guessed it, 'Pig Boy'.

"Get in here, Anthony." Steven told him as he opened the screen door, inviting Tony inside the house. Tony didn't fail to notice how Steven continued to call him Anthony which had always annoyed him. Anthony just sounded so proper and preppy which Tony could never stand but Steven still insisted on calling him that. Tony stepped in the old farmhouse and was immediately greeted by a sweet pastry scent, making him think that there was a pie or something baking in the oven. The front door immediately led into the living room which was spacious enough with a comfy looking couch and television. The only thing that threw the place off was all the baby stuff taking up the living room. There were various toys scattered on the ground and an empty bounce chair. Tony could see that the kitchen was just beyond the living room. He decided then that the house was perhaps the smallest house he been in. To be fair, he usually visited the mansions of executives that worked at Stark Industries but still.

"I'll bring your luggage up in a minute. You'll be staying in the guest bedroom upstairs. It's right next to Emma's bedroom so I hope she doesn't keep you up all night." Steven informed him and Tony gave the older man a smirk.

"Don't worry, Junior. It wouldn't be the first time a woman kept me up all night." Tony said jokingly and Steven just shook his head at him as he chuckled.

"Don't let Margot hear you joke around like that." Steven told him light heartedly. "I can't even mention sex without her covering Emma's ears." Tony smirked at the older man.

"Sounds like it's going to be a long road for you." Tony quipped and Steven sighed.

"Believe me...it has been." Steven said although it clear that the man was only joking. Tony chuckled despite his reluctance to be there. Another thing that annoyed Tony about Steven was how easy it was to get along with him. The guy could be very charming and nice when he wanted to be. The two men didn't get that much time to be acquainted when Margot abruptly walked out of the kitchen. It was no secret that the redhead found Tony to be very annoying but she still gave him a welcoming smile as she walked towards him. However, it wasn't Margot that held Tony's interest. No, it was the eleven month old baby that Margot was carrying in her arms. The kid had significantly grown since the picture that Steven had sent him. Emma was chubby as all babies were at that age but what struck Tony was how much she already looked like her father. Between her blonde locks and her captivating blue eyes, it was clear to Tony that this kid was going to take after Steven. The little girl was dressed in a simple Winnie the Pooh shirt and a pair of diapers with little animal designs printed on them. Tony actually thought the kid was kind of cute. She didn't look like a shriveled up rat at all.

"Emma, you wanna say hi to your Uncle Tony?" Margot said softly as she looked between her daughter and the awkward looking billionaire. The baby just stared at him without really seeing him. It was almost like she was staring into space. Tony wondered what the hell even went through a baby's mind.

"Poor kid." Tony said as he stared at Steven's daughter. "She seems to have taken after her ole' pops in the looks department. I feel sorry for the kid." Margot glared at him while Steven just gave him an amused look.

"Very funny, Brat." Steven told him but didn't look offended at all. Before Tony could even respond to Steven, they were interrupted by Emma who was pointing at him. Tony gave the mini me of Steven a confused look because she happened to be pointing directly at him.

"What hell are you looking at, Chubby?" Tony demanded and Margot just gave Emma an amused smile before looking back at Tony, mischief sparkling in her green eyes.

"I think she's pointing to that thing on your face." Margot said in reference to Tony's goatee. Tony glared at the redhead as he rubbed his goatee self consciously. Margot then moved closer so that Emma could somehow satisfy her curiosity. Emma Rogers was very curious for an eleven month old baby. Tony eyed the child with an unsure expression on his face as her hand reached out towards him.

Steven gestured for him to move closer so that he could be at eye level with the baby. Tony reluctantly did so as he smiled awkwardly at the girl. This was probably the first time he had ever been this close to a real living and breathing baby. Tony didn't know how this would go. The blonde haired baby then touched his face and Tony sincerely hoped that this kid's hands were clean. Didn't babies pick their noses or suck on their fingers? Gross…Tony didn't really need to be thinking where this kid's hands had been. Not when she was touching his face. The girl then began to stroke his facial hair and Tony realized that Margot had been right. Emma seemed to have some sort of weird interest in his goatee. Weird kid, he thought to himself. Well, her parents were a couple of weirdos themselves so he supposed that made sense. Tony felt stupid bending down as the kid petted his facial hair but what else did he have on his agenda for today?

Something must've satisfied Emma as the little girl began to smile at him before pulling her hand back. Tony felt a conflicted feeling coming over him at the sight of the almost toothless smile. Seriously…he could only see maybe two or three teeth in there. This kid had the smile of an old lady. Still...there was something about the almost delighted look on her face that caused Tony to smile the smallest smile right back at her. It was like her smile was infectious or at least something close to infectious. Steven and Margot exchanged a knowing look without Tony noticing.

"It looks like someone likes you, Anthony." Steven said smugly as he patted him on the back. Tony then snapped out of his slightly dazed state as he stood back up, the smile now gone. He feigned an oblivious look as he looked back at Steven.

"Yeah, well, she's just a little rat in diapers. What does she know?" Tony said casually but the adults in the room knew better. It seemed like the eccentric billionaire actually did have a heart, after all. What amused the two new parents even more was the fact that their daughter had the power to wrap anyone around her little finger…even the arrogant and sarcastic Tony Stark. It didn't look like there was anyone immune to her charm.

"A hell of a lot more than a spoiled rich boy who thinks he knows everything." Margot shot back as she kept Emma nestled against her. It was clear that Emma had lost interest in Tony's goatee by this point and was now playing with her mother's hair. Tony glared playfully at Margot.

"So rude, Miss Pierce. What would daddy think if he could hear you now?" Tony asked and Margot rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, he's not here. Thank God." Margot replied before the oven beeped in the kitchen. "That would be the roasted chicken. Could you take Emma while I get dinner ready?" Margot asked Steven and the older man smiled brightly at her.

"As if I could refuse spending time with my favorite girl." Steven said as he took Emma from Margot who raised her eyebrows at him. "What? She's not as high maintenance as you are."

Margot just shook her head in amusement at him before walking back into the kitchen, leaving Steven, Tony, and Emma alone with each other. Tony turned back to Steven who was currently caught up in Emma. The older man smiled down at his daughter adoringly as her little hand wrapped around his finger. Tony stared at the two in wonder because he couldn't remember the last time he had seen Steven smile like that. Steven had turned somewhat more bitter and even more serious in his old age…so much that Tony couldn't recall him ever looking that happy. Maybe in the days when everyone was still alive but after everyone that helped raise him passed away, he was never quite the same.

The Howling Commandos had all passed away long ago with Gabe Jones, the last one left, passing away just shy of seven years earlier. Steven had lost his stepfather a couple years ago as well and Tony knew that it had been hard on him despite the multiple disagreements Steven and his stepfather had. Then there was Tony's parents and especially Tony's father who had been more of a father to Steven than he was to his own son. Still…something seemed to change in Steven after meeting Margot and now Tony could see he was even more changed after having Emma. The way the older man looked down at his daughter proved that Steven Rogers was very happy.

"So…Tony, how's life back in California?" Steven inquired and Tony was snapped out of his thoughts. Steven's ocean blue eyes were now focused on him as Emma started to play and tug on her father's shirt. Tony shrugged.

"It's fine, I guess. I've been working on some things down in the lab. Nothing too exciting. Obadiah's been nagging me to make something bigger than the designs I've already created. It's always bigger with that guy." Tony said nonchalantly. Steven pulled a face because he had honestly never liked Obadiah Stane. He had known the man since he was a teenager and never had much taste for the man's greed and money hungry ways. Well, they didn't call Obadiah a business man for nothing although Obadiah had to be one of the slimiest businessmen out there. Steven didn't know how Tony put with it. Although that may have had something to do with the fact that Tony drank and partied way too much so it wasn't like he noticed much anyways.

"Well, what about dating? Have you met a special lady recently?" Steven inquired and Tony smirked.

"Oh, I've met a lot of special ladies." Tony said as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Steven just rolled his eyes at the younger man.

"Don't you think it's about time you got serious?" Steven asked him and Tony snorted.

"You're one to talk, Junior." Tony stated as he gave him a knowing look. "Despite what poor old Aunt Peggy thinks, you're not nearly as saint like as your father. You've been around too. Don't get all judgey on me." Steven just sighed as he prepared himself to try and talk some sense into the man he saw as his younger brother.

"Look, I know getting old is scary. Believe me… _I know_. However, maybe it's time you start thinking about settling down." Steven said rationally as Tony listened to him. "Don't be like your dad and I. Having kids when we're much too old to be raising children. God, I hate to think how old I'll be when Emma graduates from high school."

"You'll be seventy three." Tony said bluntly and Steven gave him a dirty look.

"Thanks a lot, Brat. I could've gone the next seventeen years without thinking about that." Steven told him and Tony looked rather smug as usual.

"Don't worry. Mick Jagger's still having kids so who knows? Maybe you and Margot will have another little blonde haired rat." Tony quipped and Steven ignored him intentionally as he continued to speak to Tony about his future.

"Anyways, my point is that you should really start thinking about these things. I was like you and never lingered on thought of marriage or children…until I met Margot. Now I'm the happiest I've ever been. It's like the both of them have been with me the entire time." Steven explained as he tried to get Tony to see the bigger picture. "I just wish that I had done all this a lot sooner. Now I wonder if I'll ever live long enough to see Emma graduate college or get married…have children of her own. You shouldn't wait as long as I did. You're still young but maybe you should start thinking about your future a little more. I'm not saying right this minute or anything but at least think about it." Tony sighed heavily as he looked back at a worried looking Steven. He didn't think he had seen Steven this worried in a long time. Not since Tony's more rebellious teen years.

"Look, Steven, I get that you're worried and everything but I'm honestly fine with the way my life is right now. I'm having fun and I can be focused on my work. I can't do that if there's a bunch of little Starks running around." Tony told Steven honestly. "The settling down thing seems to be working for you but we're not the same. I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of life." Steven seemed almost disappointed as he looked at Tony which almost made the billionaire flinch. Steven's disappointed look was even worse than the one his father used to give him. Maybe it was because Tony spent a lot more time with Steven growing up and Steven had been the only male role model in his life…the only one that hadn't ignored him at least.

"I just don't want you to be alone, Anthony." Steven said quietly, looking worried for him which only made Tony feel worse. "I know that you're afraid because of your father and you but I think you'd be a great father. You're a good man."

Tony wanted to snap at Steven for mentioning his father in all of this but he didn't want to start anything after just arriving at the farmhouse. There was also the fact that Emma's eyes remained glued to him and for some reason he couldn't be angry with her watching him. She looked at him in a completely innocent way. Most women either seemed to hate him or love his money. However, this one just seemed to look at him like she saw something she liked about him. Tony looked back up at Steven and gave the older man a tight lipped smile.

"I'm fine, Junior. Don't worry about me." Tony said shortly and Steven's look of concern was unwavering as he continued to stare at him. He looked like he wanted to argue with Tony about that but before he could, they were both interrupted.

"Guys, dinner's ready!" Margot called from the kitchen, snapping Tony and Steven out of their staring contest. Steven just nodded as he began to walk in the direction of the kitchen and Tony silently followed him. There wasn't really any more to be said on the topic and Tony was completely okay with that.

Tony felt eyes on him as he followed Steven and noticed that he once again had the attention of the youngest of the Rogers' clan. Her big blue eyes were focused entirely on him as she smiled at him from over her father's shoulder. Tony felt that familiar tugging of his heart at the sight of the kid's smile and those ocean blue eyes which were the exact replica of her father's. Maybe Tony could see what all the fuss was about concerning babies. Maybe he could even see what the fuss was all about concerning this one in particular because she was kind of cute…not that Tony would ever admit that he thought babies were cute. Most babies weren't cute but Tony thought Emma Rogers was probably the only one who was actually kind of adorable. He even found himself smiling back at her, one of his rare and genuine smiles that not many could say they'd seen. Tony winked at the little girl who smiled even wider at him as she continued to stare at him.

One thing he knew for sure was that Steven and Margot sure made one hell of an interesting kid.


	2. Snake Prank

**Author's Note: This one-shot is when Emma tries to be nice which may or may not involve a familiar love of snake pranks. Thanks to Another Random Account, Snapplecrackles, scrapingskies, and M for their reviews last chapter. Thanks for all the follow and favorites too and I'll try to have another one-shot out soon. The next one may or may not feature a certain Winter Soldier.**

* * *

 ** _Snake Prank: When Emma's Nice_  
**

* * *

 **Location: Avenger's Tower**

 **Year: 2014**

It was a warm summer day outside with the sun shining over the city and without a single cloud in the blue sky. That being said, Emma happened to be inside the tower reading a book in the recreational area of the tower. It wasn't like Emma wanted to go outside and soak up some sun or anything. She really hated the sun and much preferred the cold and gloomy weather. However, Emma wanted to leave the tower for much more unconventional reasons.

Emma Rogers wanted to go book shopping. Maybe book shopping wasn't completely unconventional but Steve seemed to think it was at the moment. He informed her that she would have to wait until the weekend to buy her books since he was currently on a mission. Usually Emma would make Stark order it for her but he was also away on a mission. She had just finished reading one of Gillian Flynn's novels and she was dying to read the author's other two books. Emma didn't think she could take the anticipation which was odd because she was usually an incredibly patient person. Patience was a skill that Hydra had instilled in her from a young age but Emma didn't think she was patient enough to wait for the books she wanted. She needed them.

"Lady Emma, I see you've taken to reading a book." Thor loudly announced as he stepped into the room and Emma flinched from the volume of his voice. She had sensitive hearing and Thor's loudness and obnoxiousness annoyed her. Emma was especially displeased with the god because he had extremely loud sex. She'd rather not hear his disgusting grunting and panting during the early hours of the morning. If Emma ever felt the need to throw up, it was definitely whenever she heard Thor through out the night. He lived two floors below her and Steve but with his loudness, he could've been in the next room. Emma barely glanced up from her book.

"As opposed to what?" Emma asked sarcastically but the sarcasm seemed to go over Thor's head. Thor never really seemed to understand sarcasm. Emma wondered if that was a Thor thing or just an Asgardian thing.

"I do not understand your meaning." Thor said in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing in that way that Emma thought made him look stupid. She just rolled her eyes as she wondered why on earth Steve had made Thor her babysitter during his mission. The others were all currently on a mission except for Thor and Bruce. They claimed that this was a way more covert and stealthy mission so they weren't in need of Thor and the Hulk's services. It made sense to Emma because Thor and the Hulk weren't really known for their stealthiness. Steve had requested for someone to watch her in his absence and Thor had happily volunteered. Bruce had already rushed down to the lab with his tail between his legs. He had been a little afraid of Emma since day one. Emma didn't think it was because of what she had done but more because he was afraid she'd provoke him into becoming the Hulk. Emma was curious when it came to things like that but she didn't have a death wish. She knew her limitations.

"Never mind." Emma mumbled as she started reading her book again. Thor leaned against the wall, trying to appear casual but really looking more out of place than ever. She thought it was impossible for Thor to ever look like he belonged anywhere. The guy drew attention wherever they went. If there was one thing that Thor was bad at, it was trying to be discreet. The idea of Thor trying to be discreet was almost enough to make her laugh…almost.

"Is that book very good?" Thor asked, interrupting her reading yet again. Emma shot him an annoyed look but apparently Thor didn't get the message. He was very oblivious when it came to things like that. Emma thought he was as tactless as they came.

"No, it's terrible. That's why I'm reading it." Emma said in a sarcastic tone once more which caused Thor to frown.

"Oh…I see." Thor replied but it was obvious that he was more confused than ever. Emma didn't even know why she tried being sarcastic with him. He never seemed to understand anything. "Is this what interests you, Lady Emma? Reading books and staying within the tower? It must be rather dull." Emma gave him an annoyed look.

"Whatever." Emma muttered as she tried to ignore the nuisance that was Thor Odinson. The blonde man just gave her one of those charming smiles that Emma was sure broke many hearts back in Asgard. Emma, however, was seldom charmed by the smile of some idiotic man, no matter how good looking he was. The day she fell for some idiot's smile was the day she started becoming a lame excuse for a former assassin. Emma would never sink that low.

"When I was but a young child, I would spend my days sparing out in the forests that surrounded the palace I grew up in. My friends and I had many great adventures in those forests. There was never a happier time in my existence." Thor boosted and Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. Why was this guy so damn happy all the time? God, she hated people like that. Not even Steve was that bad. She knew it sounded terrible but sometimes she honestly missed being in Hydra because at least Hydra agents weren't this jovial. There was also the fact that she had her father when she was in Hydra.

"Good for you." Emma in a dull tone. Thor just continued to smile at her as he told her stories about his childhood…stories that Emma could really give a shit less about.

"Of course, Loki would usually be inside the library reading a book. Loki always loved his books." Thor reminisced and Emma became more interested when he mentioned Loki. She had always admired the god of mischief who tried taking over the world. He was definitely theatrical when it came to taking over the world but Emma wasn't really one for theatrics. She personally would've taken over the world in a more subtle and lengthy process but she had to give him credit for coming so close. "You remind me of him sometimes. Loki was very clever and his sense of humor confused me as well." The expression on Thor's face was now sad as he remembered his dead brother. Emma, however, was completely intrigued. She didn't care much for Thor's stories about himself but stories about Loki…well, that was something that was completely of interest to Emma.

"Really?" Emma inquired curiously as she set down her book. "Tell me more."

Thor then grinned at her happily as he began telling her all of the stories from his and Loki's childhood. Emma listened with complete interest, soaking every story up. She particularly enjoyed the story Thor told her about when Loki shape shifted into a snake to trick Thor before shifting back into himself and then stabbing Thor as a surprise. Emma decided that Loki sounded like a lot of fun. She wished the Avengers were that cool. Thor enthusiastically told her all she wanted to know about Loki and Emma listened intently. Maybe Thor wasn't so bad, after all.

* * *

It was night time when she walked into Thor's room a week later. She made sure it was a night when Jane was out of town because Emma really didn't want to walk in on them having sex. Emma heard his loud snoring the second she walked out of the elevator and onto his floor. Wow…Thor was more annoying when he was asleep then when he was awake. Not that Emma was surprised or anything. Emma walked silently through Thor's apartment, making sure her footsteps were as silent as possible. Her father had taught her how to be remarkably silent and Emma wanted to make him proud.

Eventually she made it to Thor's room with a big box in her arms as she slowly crept around to his bed. The god of thunder was passed out in his bed, lying in an awkward position with his mouth hanging open. Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust at the pool of drool staining his pillow and wondered why women everywhere found him to be so attractive. He was probably the most disgusting person she had ever met. Emma noticed that his chest was bare as he slept under the covers and she figured that he was probably naked under there. She didn't take Thor as someone who wore pajamas to bed. The thought grossed her out even more and she felt sorry for Jane who probably had to sleep in sheets that reeked of ball sweat. Gross. Yeah, Emma was definitely never going to allow a man into her bed. Men were disgusting.

Emma then popped open the box she held in her arms and immediately heard the sound of hissing. She stared into the box of snakes with a somewhat soft look on her face. Yes, a part of her hated snakes, ironically enough, after the injections and all the snakes slithering around the jungles she visited. However, Emma was comforted by the fact that she was actually doing someone a favor. She had never really done anyone a favor before but she knew this was the right thing to do. Deep down this was what Thor wanted. Without another thought, Emma started reaching into the box and she carefully began taking the snakes out. There weren't any weird sort of snakes. Just some that she had delivered to the tower from the local pet store. Emma had told Tony it was a bunny and he had been stupid enough to believe her when she used his credit card. How stupid was he if he honestly thought Emma would buy a bunny? Very stupid apparently.

There was almost two dozen snakes she had ordered and Emma neatly placed them around Thor's body. Even when she placed a snake on top of his chest, the so called god still didn't wake up. Maybe he was actually a real life sleeping beauty…wait, no. That title probably belonged to her grandfather more than Thor. Once Emma finished with the snakes, she stood back and smiled at her good work. Thor was going to be pleased. She then set the box down on the floor before leaving the room without giving the Asgardian another look.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

It was late in the morning later that day when an unmanly scream was heard through the tower. Thor wasn't known for getting up early, after all. The scream was so alarmingly loud that Tony rushed into Thor's room suited up while Steve and the others also barged in, with their respective weapons, only to find a completely naked Thor standing in his bed as he stared in shock at all the snakes at his feet. Everyone stared at him as they tried to figure out what was going on. There was a couple minutes of silence before Thor broke out of his shocked state and then began suddenly laughing as he stared at all the snakes. It was oddest thing to see…A naked Thor laughing hysterically at a bunch of snakes in his bed. It was perhaps the most jovial he had looked in some time. His brother's death seemed to be taking a toll on him and though he was still his happy self, there were times that Thor became sad at the thought of his late brother.

"Thor…what's going on?" Steve asked hesitantly as he gave the god a worried look. Thor grinned at all of them which greatly disturbed Steve with the naked state Thor was currently in.

"It seems that Lady Emma has played a prank on me." Thor said, sounding oddly delighted. "She appears to have thoroughly surprised me. I must admit that I did not see this one coming. Lady Emma is a very clever young maiden." Everyone's eyebrows raised in surprise at this one. Steve just stared at him in disbelief so Clint spoke instead.

"Are you saying Emma did this?" Clint asked him and Thor just gave him a goofy smile.

"Is it not obvious?" Thor inquired as he gestured around him. "I told Lady Emma tales of mine and Loki's childhood adventures last week. I suppose Lady Emma listened to the tale of Loki's snake trick more closely than I foresaw." Tony still looked confused by all of this.

"Are you telling us that Mini Cap snuck in here in the middle of the night and threw a bunch of snakes in your bed?" Tony questioned and Thor nodded.

"Yes. Lady Emma acted in a way that would make Loki himself proud. She reminds me of my brother at times." Thor said fondly and all the Avengers looked at him with horrified expressions on their face but no one was more horrified and insulted than Steve.

"Excuse me?" Steve said, sounding almost offended.

"Lady Emma. She's just as clever with her tricks as Loki was." Thor explained but Steve didn't like his answer one bit. He clenched his jaw as he struggled not to argue with his teammate. Steve didn't like Thor comparing his granddaughter to Loki. Emma was nothing like Loki. She was very cynical and sometimes liked playing tricks on people but she was nothing like Loki who was unhinged and evil. Thor was gravely mistaken about Emma.

"Maybe you should get dressed, Thor." Natasha suggested as she gave Steve a slightly worried look before looking back to Thor.

"Yeah, we'll get Happy to take care of the mess." Tony told him, looking slightly disappointed that there wasn't an actual threat in the room. Things had been sort of boring lately and he would've loved to have said that he saved Thor's life. Holding something like that over Thor would've been the highlight of his year.

Steve didn't say anything else as he stormed away, a lot on his mind as went to go talk to Emma. It was clear they needed to have a little chat. He clearly had no idea what was going through the teenager's mind. She had only been here for a few months but he was no closer to understanding her. He, of course, adored Emma but he couldn't help her if he didn't understand her. Steve just knew that Emma was nothing like Loki. Thor was wrong when he compared the two. Emma was good and Loki was…well, he was just bad. Emma wasn't what Thor thought.

* * *

"Why did you do it, Emma?" Steve asked her point blank. He had forced Emma out of her bedroom so that they could have a "family meeting" in the kitchen. She was seated across from him at the table with a bored look on her face. Steve didn't know why Thor accused her of being like Loki. Sometimes Steve thought she was more like Natasha.

"Do what?" Emma asked as she played dumb. Steve narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know what I mean. Why did you put the snakes in Thor's bed? What did he ever do to you?" Steve questioned and Emma sighed heavily, not wanting to explain herself. The explanation was kind of embarrassing.

"He didn't do anything to me." Emma told him and Steve just gave her a confused look.

"Then why did you do it?" He asked, still seeming perplexed by her antics.

"It's not what you think." Emma finally said. "I didn't do it to humiliate him."

"I don't understand." Steve said in confusion and Emma just stared back at him before elaborating.

"He was always going on and on about how much he missed his brother so I decided that it would be less annoying to me if he was less homesick." Emma told him and Steve was even more confused than before which he didn't think was possible. Wait…Thor missed his brother? Steve didn't think it was odd for Thor to miss his brother even with who Loki was. They had grown up together, after all, and Steve knew he could never hate Bucky either even if Bucky had done a lot of terrible things. However, Steve didn't know Thor was still that upset over it. Well…Thor had never said anything to them about it and Steve couldn't ever remember Thor going on and on about Loki like Emma said.

"What are you talking about? Thor's homesick?" Steve asked and Emma shrugged.

"It's not like he cries at night into a pillow or anything. He has more dignity than that." Emma told him honestly before continuing. "He just talks about Loki a lot. He even said that he missed Loki's pranks." Steve was finally beginning to understand why Emma had done what she had. She was right. It wasn't what he thought at all. This was probably the furthest thing from what Steve could've come up with.

"So you put snakes in his bed as a kindness?" Steve asked slowly and Emma suddenly looked a bit shy at his question.

"You said that I should try to be nicer to people…more compassionate." Emma said softly. "He misses his brother like I miss my father. Thor's annoying but I can understand that sort of longing."

"He confided in you about this?" Steve questioned and Emma nodded. Steve figured that it made sense that Thor would talk to Emma about Loki. She was probably the only one who would listen to him without judging his brother for his crimes. It actually made a lot of sense that Thor would tell Emma stories about Loki. Everyone else would probably wrinkle their noses in disgust and thank god that he was dead. That wasn't what Thor wanted to hear.

"I guess. He mostly just told me stories about all the pranks Loki used to pull on him when they were children. They're actually really funny pranks. Loki was kind of cool, I guess." Emma said and it was the first time Emma said anyone was cool. Nothing was cool to Emma…except for Loki as it would seem. Steve frowned because he didn't like her saying that.

"You shouldn't say that, Emma. Loki did a lot of terrible things...he killed a lot of innocent people." Steve told her but Emma didn't seem bothered by this.

"I've killed innocent people too, Steve." Emma retorted but Steve just shook his head.

"You're a child who fought for her survival. That's different." Steve tried to point out but Emma looked doubtful.

"Steve, you can either be black and white or gray. You can't be gray when it's convenient. You can't be gray when it comes to me. It's either one or the other." Emma told him, referring to the fact that they both saw the world in two very different ways. Steve who saw right from wrong and Emma who was somewhere in between all of that. It was silent between them for a while after that, neither of them knowing what to say.

"I'm glad you're trying to be nicer to the others." Steve said abruptly as he changed the subject. Emma understood why he was changing the subject. It wasn't likely that they would ever agree with each other when it came to the way they saw the world. "Even if you're still terrible at it." He smiled at her in amusement and Emma smiled back at him.

"I think this is the nicest thing I've ever done for anyone." Emma proclaimed in a feigned proud sounding voice. Steve just chuckled in amusement as he shook his head at her.

"You _would_ think that, wouldn't you?" He said as he looked at her. There was certainly no one else like Emma in the world. No one thought the way she did and he knew for sure that no one would prank someone as a favor...except for Emma They calmed down from their brief fit of laughter and Emma looked over at Steve with a soft look on her face.

"Did he like the prank?" Emma inquired and Steve gave her a kind smile.

"He loved it." Steve knew whatever Thor thought about Emma was completely untrue, whether he meant it in a good way or a bad way. She was absolutely nothing like Loki but she was also nothing like Natasha either. Emma wasn't even anything like him. No, Emma was completely her own person and Steve was proud of her for that.


	3. Winter

**Author's Note: So I meant to update this ages ago but I was just so busy with _Some Things Never Sleep_ that I never got the chance. However, I was just really inspired after seeing that picture of Bucky's charming smile in Infinity War again. I know it's kind of a weird and random thing to make me feel inspired but just think of Bucky in that scene in Infinity War where he and Steve reunite. You'll want to write as much Bucky fanfiction as possible after seeing that smile. Sebastian Stan has such a beautiful smile. Great...now I sound super creepy. **

**I was listening to Father John Misty's new album while writing this chapter. I think I must've listened to the album on repeat like five times. Maybe I'm in love with his music so much because his music always reminds me of sixties summer of love era kind of music which is probably my favorite kind of era of all the eras. I'm super obsessed with the songs 'Date Night', 'Hangout at the Gallows', and 'Dumb Enough to Try'. I think I might include 'Dumb Enough to Try' in the future of STNS because I can really envision a cute scene with Emma and Bucky involving that song. I'm already planning the scene out in my mind.**

 **So next chapter will include a certain spider. I know I said I wouldn't include chapters with Peter but this is going to take place before Peter meets Emma but it's still going to relate to Emma in some sort of way. It'll make sense when I post the next chapter which won't be until after I update STNS. This chapter is also not the last Bucky and Emma chapter. There will be plenty more of Bucky to come in this story.**

 **FYI: THIS CHAPTER ALSO TAKES PLACE THE DAY AFTER EMMA AND BUCKY'S FIRST MEETING.**

 **Thanks to Purplestan, Mcduffie145, BabyPinkPuppy, M, nathan19bane, JustJoyce, and TheAngelicPyro for reviewing last chapter. Thanks for all the follows and favorites as well. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _ **Winter: Where We Learn That Emma's Always Been a Flirt**_

* * *

 **Location: Siberia**

 **Year: 2006**

Ocean blue eyes met pale blue ones inside the cold and eerily silent room. Five year old Emma Rogers sat very still on the floor across from the Winter Soldier. It didn't escape her notice that he wasn't sitting like she was. No, he was leaning against the cold cement wall as he stared down at her and Emma felt very frightened. She had only seen this very same man murder a person the day before and in such a violent and brutal way. Emma had seen what he had been able to do with his bare hands and she knew he could kill her even quicker than he killed the man from yesterday. The man from yesterday had been a trained soldier while Emma was just a small and weak little girl.

"Are you going to kill me?" Emma asked in a small voice. She tried to remain strong but her eyes betrayed her. It was clear to the Winter Soldier that the girl was frightened. She practically trembled as she stared up at him with wide eyes. It took a minute before the Winter Soldier spoke and when he did the five year old realized it was the first time he had ever spoken since she had first seen him.

"I'm going to train you." He said and it was a voice that sounded both low and rough. The Winter Soldier probably hadn't spoken in some time. Emma was surprised by his voice because she thought he'd speak in Russian or at least have a Russian accent but he had neither. He sounded as American as her father had.

"Why?" Emma asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. The Winter Soldier just stared blankly at her. Usually Karpov would speak for him in a situation like this but Karpov and the other Hydra agents left the Winter Soldier alone in the room with her so he could train her by himself. They wanted the Winter Soldier to train her so that she could be the perfect copy of him and then maybe even better than him someday but that was still far away into the future. The only people in the room other than Emma and the Winter Soldier were two guards positioned by the door but that was only to ensure that the Winter Soldier didn't have another break down and kill the girl. For the most part the two guards didn't interfere.

"It's my mission." He finally said without any emotion. The evenness of his tone chilled the small girl to her bones. Despite the fear she still felt for the man, she gained a bit of courage after hearing that killing her wasn't on his agenda.

"Why?" She asked again and the Winter Soldier just continued to stare at her but this time he seemed somewhat confused. It was the first emotion she had ever seen on his face.

"What?" He said and Emma did her best to hold his gaze without trembling.

"Why is it y-your…mison?" Emma said as she horribly pronounced mission although it was also clear that she had no idea what the word mission meant. "Wait…what does mison mean?" The Winter Soldier looked at the five year old like she was something he had never seen before. He regained his composure as he eyed Emma carefully.

" _Mission_ is a task that a person is given just like how my task is to train you. Hydra demands it." The Winter Soldier told her seriously but he didn't seem to realize that it was impossible for a five year old to understand something like that.

"But why?" Emma asked and he just stared blankly at her again.

"Because it's what Hydra demands." He repeated but Emma's curiosity was unwavering.

"But why does Hydra demand it?" She asked, using the word "demand" for the first time within her five year old vocabulary. The Winter Soldier narrowed his eyes at her as he silently stalked towards her. Emma gulped as she retreated back into herself, clearly knowing that she had crossed some sort of line. The tall, imposing man sneered at her as Emma scooted back across the floor in an attempt to create some distance between them but it was pointless. He stood tall over her, his shadow encompassing her as she stared up in fright.

"No more questions." He said coldly in a voice full of authority. The tone of his voice told Emma that there would be no more questions and there definitely was no arguing with this man. When her parents were still alive her father used to be the one who instilled discipline although the furthest her father had ever gone was spanking her once when she had thrown a fit and threw a strawberry milkshake at him while he was driving. Emma never threw another fit because she didn't want to make her father angry at her again. However, now that she was staring up at the Winter Soldier, she could see that he was a person that she really didn't want to make angry either. He was even scarier than her father because she knew for a fact that the Winter Soldier didn't love her like her father had. Something told her he could be even scarier than Karpov or the man with the wolf like smile if he wanted.

"Sorry." Emma mumbled as she avoided his gaze and the Winter Soldier glared at her.

"Look at me." He demanded and the five year old forced herself to look back up at him. She tried not to feel scared but it was really difficult. Emma supposed she was just a big baby like what Tommy Callister from down the road used to call her. "Never apologize. Apologizing is a sign of weakness." The five year old nodded slowly.

"Sor-I mean okay." Emma said hesitantly after almost saying the very word the Winter Soldier just told her not to say. The assassin just gave her a small nod before he abruptly kicked a small cargo crate towards Emma. She flinched at the screeching sound as the crate slid across the cement floor and stopped in front of her. Emma nearly jumped when he suddenly dropped down to his knees in front of the crate and across from her. There was something eerie about the way the assassin moved. The way he could be so silent one minute and then surprise her the next. The Winter Soldier then took out a medium sized folded up contraption from under the armor vest he wore. She noticed he had a lot of compartments in that odd looking vest but she doubted that he had anything she would've liked in those compartments. Something told the five year old that it wasn't likely that the Winter Soldier had candy in any of those pockets. She wished he did. Emma couldn't remember the last time she had candy.

"What's that?" Emma asked but blushed when the Winter Soldier fixed her with a dark look. "No questions." She said as she remembered what he said before. The small blonde girl grew silent as the Winter Soldier placed the folded up contraption on the wooden crate between them before proceeding to unfold it. Emma's eyes widened when she saw what was now sitting in front of her. There was a large collection of knives in front of her but not the kind of knives that her mother and father used to cook with. No, they were big and scary knives that Emma knew that her parents would never want her touching.

"We will start with knives." The Winter Soldier said quietly and Emma barely nodded as she continued to stare at the knives. He then picked up a rather large looking knife which made Emma's eyes light up with recognition.

"Hey, that's Crocodile Dundee's knife! " Emma exclaimed happily as she stared at the huge knife and the small girl then made a face as she deepened her voice in an attempt to mimic Crocodile Dundee's voice. "That's not a knife. _That's_ a knife." The Winter Soldier just stared at her blankly. The smile began to fade from her face when she didn't see a similar look of recognition on the Winter Soldier's face.

"Haven't you seen it? It's a great movie. My daddy used to love that movie." Emma tried to explain to him but the Winter Soldier purposely ignored her.

" _This_ is a Bowie hunting knife. Twelve inches." The Winter Soldier then touched the blade of the knife gently to prove how sharp it was and the knife easily cut him. Emma gasped as the blood oozed out of his small wound.

"You have a boo-boo." Emma told him as she looked at him worriedly and the Winter Soldier looked almost dumbstruck at what she just told him. "Do you need me to kiss it better? What about a band-aid? Mommy used to give me _Hello Kitty_ band-aids whenever I got a boo-boo. Maybe they have _Hello Kitty_ band-aids here too."

"Quiet!" The Winter Soldier said sharply as he brought her attention back to the knives. Emma blushed once more as she obeyed the Winter Soldier's command. "This is a combat switch blade knife. Smaller but easily concealed." Emma frowned as she looked at the small knife that the Winter Soldier was now showing her. It was somewhat smaller than the other knife and kind of disappointing now that she had been showed the large one.

"That's not a knife." Emma said as she stared at the tiny looking knife. The Winter Soldier didn't understand her odd statement.

"Yes, it is." The Winter Soldier stated, not knowing what else to say to the girl's odd statement. Emma then pointed at the large and, what she thought was the, fun knife from before.

"That's a knife." Emma said confidently as she repeated the _Crocodile Dundee_ quote again. The Winter Soldier clenched his jaw as he decided just to ignore her this time. He set the switchblade knife back down and then moved onto to the next one. The Winter Soldier picked up a knife that looked weird to Emma. It had a curved blade that reminded her of the claw that one of the dinosaurs had in that scary dinosaur movie she watched with her parents once. Like the switchblade knife, it was also quite small and disappointing compared to the first knife.

"Folding Karambits." The Winter Soldier said as he held out the knife for her to see. "Easily concealed and designed for close quarters combat." Emma didn't really know what any of that meant but she assumed that it was a good thing. He then picked up the last knife which was bigger than the switchblade and curvy looking knife but smaller than the first one.

"This is a double edged dagger. The double edged fixed blade gives the user improved stabbing capabilities." The Winter Soldier said flatly and the five year old was still so captivated by the first knife that it didn't even register to her that he mentioned something about stabbing.

"Can we play with them now?" Emma asked impatiently and the Winter Soldier stared at her blankly again.

"Play?" He questioned and Emma nodded with a small hopeful smile on her face.

"Yes, I'll take the big knife so that I can be Crocodile Dundee and you can be the Crocodile I have to fight. Have you ever played Crocodile Dundee before? Me and Tommy Callister used to play it but he always got to be Crocodile Dundee. I can teach you how to be the Crocodile if you want. It's not hard." Emma rambled and the Winter Soldier was quickly growing impatient. He took one of the knives, the Crocodile Dundee one, before slamming it back down through the crate. Emma jumped up in surprise before she looked between him and the knife in fright.

"This is not a game." The Winter Soldier said coldly. "We do not play here. My mission is solely to teach you a lesson and your mission is to listen and learn. Do you understand?" Emma nodded furiously because she could tell now wasn't the time to argue with the Winter Soldier although she was a little disappointed. When Karpov first told her she would be spending a lot of time with the mysterious Winter Soldier, she thought he meant that the Winter Soldier was either going to kill her or play with her. Emma had looked forward to the idea of someone to play with. It had been a long time since she had been allowed to play with someone. Tommy Callister was the last person she had ever played with and she hadn't even really liked him. The Winter Soldier seemed way more interesting and cool to her than stupid, mean Tommy Callister.

"Yes." Emma said quietly although she was a bit disappointed that the Winter Soldier didn't want to play with her. Who else was she supposed to play with in this place full of mean people? Definitely not Karpov. Karpov hated her and slapped her whenever she didn't speak Russian.

"Now I want you to study the knives. The shape, the details…everything." The Winter Soldier told her and Emma decided that it was probably best that she listened to him. She had seen what he had done to that man yesterday. The five year old then began to look at the knives but she couldn't really see the difference between them. They all just looked like knives to her. Some were big and some were small. After she stared at the knives for maybe a minute or two, she quickly became distracted. It wasn't really that hard for a five year old to become distracted.

Emma looked up at the Winter Soldier who was watching her silently with that same empty look on his face. She took the time to study the Winter Soldier rather than the knives like he had requested. Emma noticed that he was quite a bit younger looking than most of the men around the base. She thought he even looked a bit younger than Pony who used to come around her house all the time but had stopped coming months before her parents died. Pony who was funny and always brought her pretty gifts. However, Emma didn't want to think of Pony anymore. She couldn't even remember what Pony looked like these days. She just remembered flashy and fancy looking shirts and loud laughter. Emma then continued to fix her gaze on the Winter Soldier as she forced away thoughts of Uncle Pony from her mind.

The Winter Soldier's skin was a very light and pale color but Emma knew that most of the men there at the base were pale like that. It wasn't like Oklahoma where everyone had nice tans from the constant sunshine. His eyes were a pale blue color that seemed empty and full of nothingness as he stared back at her. Emma thought they were a really nice color that matched the sky blue colored crayon that was her favorite crayon back home. She used to color everything blue back then. It had been her favorite color before she started liking pink. His hair was a little long for a boy, Emma thought to herself, but she liked his hair. It was a light brown color which was several shades lighter than her Uncle Pony's hair had been or at least what she thought her Uncle Pony's hair had been. As Emma stared at his face she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. He looked like someone famous…a movie star or maybe even a prince. Emma thought if the Winter Soldier smiled then he might've looked even more handsome than he was. She decided then he was possibly one of best looking boys she had ever seen.

"Have you finished studying the knives?" The Winter Soldier said as he broke the five year old out of her musings.

"You're pretty." Emma couldn't help but blurt out. The Winter Soldier blinked once as he stared back at her. She blushed but then continued to speak when he didn't say anything else. "You look really pretty…like a Disney prince. Maybe Prince Eric from _The Little Mermaid_. I always thought Prince Eric was the prettiest prince. I think you're way prettier than anyone else around here. All the others are ugly and old like Karpov but not you. You're pretty." The Winter Soldier stared at her and once gain thought it better just to ignore the girl.

"Let's move on to something more physical." The Winter Soldier ordered as he gracefully got up from the floor. Emma watched him and wondered if he knew she was complimenting him. She thought being told that you looked like a Disney prince was the highest compliment a person could receive. Emma just nodded as she followed his example and stood up from the floor.

"Okay…" She started to say but soon realized that she still didn't know what his name was. She doubted that anyone liked being called Winter Soldier. "Hey, what's your name?" The Winter Soldier just stared blankly at her before answering. She noticed that his gaze held very little emotion if none at all. It had creeped her out at first but now she was slowly becoming used to it.

"You may refer to me as Asset." He told her, his voice sounding monotone. Emma scrunched her nose up in dislike.

"No one's name is Asset." Emma pointed out but the Winter Soldier just stared at her, not bothering to answer her. "You have to have a name. I can't call you Asset. That's a robot's name, not a person's name."

"I don't care what you call me." The Winter Soldier finally said, quickly growing annoyed with the girl. Emma, however, was oblivious. She then grinned at him as she finally came up with something to call him.

"Ooh! I know! I'll call you Winter." Emma said excitedly as she clapped her hands. "Get it? Short for Winter Soldier." _Winter_ was clearly not as amused by this as she was. He gritted his teeth before speaking.

"I want you to run back and forth from this side of the room to the other side until I tell you to stop." Winter announced suddenly, pointedly ignoring the little girl's excitement. He pulled out a stopwatch to emphasize his instructions. "I will time you." He expected the little girl to pout at this but she instead seemed somehow delighted. She jumped up and down excitedly as she prepared herself for the task.

"I love running! I used to run all the time back home! Mommy could never catch me." The five year old bragged and the Winter Soldier just stared at her silently which she learned probably meant that he wanted her to be quiet. She hadn't spent very long with Winter but she was quickly starting to learn what certain looks of his meant.

"Go." He ordered and Emma obeyed him as she then broke off into a sprint. Winter watched her silently as she raced back and forth with a determined look on her face. Emma was eager to somehow impress the scary assassin. She didn't know why she wanted to impress him so much. Maybe it was because he was the first person other than Karpov that she had the chance to spend one on one time with. Emma knew that she sure liked Winter a lot more than mean and boring Karpov who always glared hatefully at her. Winter seemed way cooler than that stupid old man.

"Look at me, Winter!" The five year old called out happily to him as she ran but Winter just watched her quietly. "Look how fast I can run! I bet I can run faster than you!" It was those words that caused Winter to stiffen. His breathing hitched as something familiar stirred inside him and it was no longer the small blonde girl he was looking at. The images were like a collection of photographs inside his mind that were smashed together all at once. Some pieces were blurry while other pieces were clear as day.

 _"_ _Look at me, Buck! You can't ran this fast, can you?!" A small boy called out as the boy ran ahead of him. All he could see was a head of blonde hair as he and this small looking boy ran through the streets of a familiar looking city. It was a different era as could be seen from the vintage looking cars and the clothes people wore. Some of those people gave them looks of distaste as they ran by._

 _"_ _Shut up, Punk! I'm letting you win!" He shouted at the boy who just giggled as they continued to run._

 _"_ _I'm faster and you know it, Jerk!" The boy said as he continued to run but Winter grew frustrated because he couldn't see his face. Just the back of the boy as they ran through the streets. He knew this boy…deep down he knew he did. The boy was so familiar to him yet Winter had no idea why. The boy's name was on the tip of his tongue but at the same time the name was so far out of reach. Winter never felt so lost in his life which was ironic because usually he felt lost all the time._

 _"_ _You'll never catch me, Buck! Never!"_

"You can't catch me, Winter!" The girl taunted as she continued running. Winter was snapped out of the memory as the small boy disappeared from his mind and was replaced with the small blonde girl from before. She giggled at him as she ran towards him and Winter didn't like what she was doing to him. This girl was putting images inside his mind…she was somehow playing tricks on his mind. He didn't know how she was doing it but he knew that she was still the one responsible. As the five year old approached him, Winter threw out his foot last minute which caused Emma to trip before falling. He didn't want to see the things she was putting in his head anymore. He didn't like it.

"Ow!" She said as she sat up from her position on the floor. The small girl then cradled her knee to her chest. "That wasn't fair, Winter! You can't just trip me! That's cheating!" Her words then put more images in his mind which only confused him further.

 _"_ _You cheated, you jerk!" The boy exclaimed as Winter approached him. The small boy was lying on the ground after he had playfully shoved him. Winter didn't understand why but the emotions of fear, guilt, and worry stirred inside him as he looked down at the boy who was still lying on his stomach against the ground._

 _"_ _No, I didn't!" He denied but it was a lie. There was no way Winter could've known this but deep down he knew it was a lie. He was the one who shoved the boy to the ground and for some reason he felt guilty about it…he regretted it._

 _"_ _Yes, you did!"The boy whined as he tried getting up from the ground and Winter wanted him to get up so badly. He wanted him get up so badly so that he could finally see the mysterious boy's face. "You shoved me! That's no fair, Buck! I was winning and you cheated!"_

"Winter!" The girl whined as he was yet again snapped out of the memory. Winter stared down at the injured child as she sniffled from the pain of the wound. "It hurts."

"What hurts?" Winter questioned, only barely paying attention as his mind was still on the boy in his head. She then ran her fingers over the wound on her scraped knee. She stiffened from the pain as the blood got smeared onto her fingers.

"My knee." She whimpered as she fought the urge to cry. Karpov always slapped her whenever she cried. Crying was for cowards according to Karpov. "It hurts so bad, Winter!" He really doubted that it hurt as much as she said it hurt. Winter had been shot, stabbed, and beaten numerous times in his life. He had experienced more pain than most people experienced in a lifetime so somehow he doubted that a scraped knee could really hurt that much.

"Be quiet." He tried to tell her.

"But it hurts!" She whined loudly and he was about to tell her to shut up again when he suddenly lost the words. Her gaze locked onto his as she stared up at him with eyes filled with tears. Those eyes were what made him stiffen as he stared down at her. Eyes that had seemed familiar to him before. Eyes that were as blue as the ocean and eyes that might've seemed perfectly blue from a distance but, at closer glance, held faint amounts of green within them. He had dismissed those eyes earlier but the way those eyes locked onto him now, with those tears inside, made him stop and stare in wonder.

 _"_ _It hurts, Buck." The small boy said to him and he realized that he could now see his face seeing as the boy was no longer lying on the ground. The boy was now sitting cross legged on the sidewalk and Winter was sitting across from him. The boy was very small and scrawny for a kid his age. He also looked sickly and Winter didn't fail to notice how heavy his breathing sounded. His breathing sounded almost labored. However, what struck Winter the most was the fact that the boy's eyes were exactly the same as the girl's. An almost perfect blue if it wasn't for the green hidden inside their ocean blue depths and just like the girl's eyes, they were filled with tears. The way the eyes watched him stirred something inside him and Winter realized what this was. Longing. For some unexplained reason he missed this boy but for what reason? Winter had never seen this boy in his life…or had he?  
_

 _"_ _I'm sorry." He apologized to the boy. Why was he apologizing? He never apologized. Hydra had beaten that out of him a long time ago. He didn't know if it was from the torture, the machine, or the Cyro-Chamber but he didn't do things like apologizing. "I didn't mean to hurt you."_

 _"_ _It's okay." The boy sniffled as he held out his palms in front of him which were scraped from hitting the ground so past. There were faint traces of blood along the surface which caused him to frown._

 _"_ _Mom told me not to play so rough with you but I forgot." He said sadly and the boy gave him a hurt look._

 _"_ _I can handle it. I'm not delicate." The boy told him pointedly and Winter sighed for some reason._

 _"_ _That's not what I meant. I just…well, I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry." He told him as he gave the boy a guilty look. The small boy fell silent and for some reason Winter felt as though he had to cheer him up. He cleared his throat as he spoke again. "Say why don't we head back to my place and maybe my mom can clean that wound."_

 _"_ _I don't know." Steve said quietly._

 _"_ _Come on…Mom just baked cookies this morning. Chocolate chip is your favorite." He said as he tried to convince the small boy to forgive him. "Maybe she'll lend us some money so we can go see that Lon Chaney movie." The boy perked up a bit when he mentioned the cookies and movie._

 _"_ _Okay." He said happily and Winter chuckled. It was so odd…he seemed to be experiencing everything from his own perspective yet he had no control over anything he said or did. It was like a weird out of body experience. Winter lent the boy a hand and then easily helped him off the ground. Winter was surprised at how light the boy was although he didn't know why he was that surprised. He was the smallest thing he had ever seen…almost as small as the girl that shared his eyes and hair._

 _"_ _Let's get going then." Winter told him and the two of them began walking in the opposite direction._

 _"_ _So um…when does the Lon Chaney movie start?" The small boy asked after a moment of silence. Winter smiled._

 _"_ _I think it starts at two. That's what it said in the paper." He told him and the boy nodded._

 _"_ _I was winning, you know." The boy told him as they continued to walk down the street. Winter gave him a knowing look._

 _"_ _No you weren't." He told the boy and the boy pretended to be angry with him as he playfully glared at Winter._

 _"_ _Jerk." The small boy muttered under his breath and Winter shook his head as he laughed at him._

 _"_ _Punk."_

When Winter finally snapped out of the strange memory, he finally noticed the small girl who was still sitting on the floor where he last seen her. The uncanny similarities between her and the boy struck him as odd. They could've been twins for all Winter knew although he was sure that the boy must've been a little older than her. Winter didn't know what the memory meant. He didn't know if it was his own memory or if it was some trick that Hydra had planted in his head to test him. It seemed so real…the boy seemed as real as the girl before him was. Maybe it was her that was playing the tricks. After all, he had never even see that boy before she came into the picture.

Winter finally had enough with thinking of the small boy and he didn't care if the girl was trying to trick him. He would complete his mission like what Karpov had ordered and this weak little girl wasn't going to get in his way. She was just a means to an end. The Winter Soldier growled in frustration as he grabbed Emma roughly and pulled her up from off the ground. She gasped in surprise and froze as she stared up at him. It wasn't until then that she truly realized how tall he was. To the five year old he seemed like a giant as he loomed over her with a dark look on his face.

"I will take you to the infirmary. Stop whining." Winter said coldly before he started walking towards the door of the room. He heard the small footsteps of the girl as she began to follow him but he froze the second he felt a warmth in his hand…his real hand and not the one made of metal. Winter looked down only to see that the sniveling little girl had slipped her small hand into his. He clenched his jaw in annoyance before yanking his hand out of the girl's grip. The assassin then grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled her to him, forcing her to look at him. Emma's eyes widened in fear as she looked at the cold expression on his face. It was only then that she remembered how dangerous he was…that he had killed a man with his bare hands just the day before.

"Don't touch me again." He spat as he gripped her wrist tightly in his hand. Both he and she knew that he could break it with just the slightest movement of his hand. He'd done worse to people in the past for a lot less. "If you do then I won't hesitate in cutting off every single one of your little fingers. Don't test me." She didn't answer as she continued to stare up at him in fright. The little girl couldn't seem to find the strength within herself to speak.

"Do you understand?" Winter said in a demanding tone and it was clear to Emma that he wasn't asking her. No, he was telling her that she better understand or else. The five year old nodded furiously and Winter sneered at her.

"Answer me." He ordered and Emma forced herself to obey him. There were some individuals at Hydra that Emma would challenge or question. Karpov and Strucker were ones that she had no trouble in challenging. Of course, they'd always make her pay for it later but Emma didn't care. However, she could see that Winter was definitely the kind of person you obeyed. You didn't dare cross him because he would make sure you regretted it.

"I-I understand, Sir." Emma finally uttered and Winter nodded, looking as approving as he'd ever look. He seemed satisfied with her answer as he finally loosened his grip on her wrist before starting to walk towards the door once more. Winter stopped only briefly in his steps when he didn't hear the sound of her footsteps.

"Follow me." He commanded and Emma didn't hesitate in rushing forward to catch up with him. Winter immediately resumed walking when he heard her trailing after him.

Emma didn't know how to describe the way she felt about Winter after their time together. He was cold and mean…like a robot or alien in those movies her father loved watching so much. Emma even thought he was more mean than Karpov but that didn't mean she thought he was cruel or nasty like Karpov. In their short amount of time together, Winter had never beaten her or called her mean names. Sure, he had gotten mad at her and threatened her but she had taken a lot worse. Winter was weird though…he was both scary and admirable to her at the same time. He scared her but she admired him because he scared her.

It wasn't just her either. Everyone, even Karpov, was scared of him and he didn't even have to say anything to scare them. All he had to do was stare at them blankly and they were shaking in their boots. Emma desired something like that. She wanted them to fear her like they feared Winter. Maybe then they'd think twice before beating her or calling her those names. Maybe they'd never hurt her again and maybe they'd even regret murdering her parents. Emma wanted to make them regret it but there was only one way that could happen. Her mind was young but it was no longer quite as innocent after seeing the murder of her parents. Emma wasn't as stupid as the others thought her to be. She knew what she wanted to be...what she _had_ to be in order to get anywhere in this world.

Emma wanted to be scary like Winter.


	4. Potential Boyfriend

**Author's Note: So here's another One-Shot although Emma's not technically in it. It does have a lot to do with her in a way. It might be a little boring since it's mostly just dialogue from the movie but it's just kind of both from Tony and Peter's perspective because this is a big moment for Emma and Peter in a way. This is kind of how they happened. Tony's the one who technically introduced them, after all. So this is Peter's introduction scene in Captain America: Civil War.**

 **I'm so happy because I got to write this on my new laptop. My purple laptop! I keep telling everyone that it's purple but I promise this is the last time.**

 **nathan19bane: Emma was just an innocent little girl once which I wanted to convey and we'll be seeing more of that side of Emma in future one-shots. I showed a bit of her like that in the beginning of STNS but it's been a while.**

 **penyy19: Thank you! I'm guessing this is in reference to my Father John Misty comment. I'm just super obsessed with his latest album right now and I already know how I'm going to use 'Just Dumb Enough to Try' in STNS and it's going to be a really cute moment. It's not going to be a Emma/Peter moment though. They already have a song. I was also listening to a lot of HAIM while writing this chapter but when am I ever not listening to HAIM?**

 **Another random account: Thank you! I think the Winter Soldier is way harder to write than just Bucky but I'm trying not to give him too many emotions because I want it to be realistic. As for Uncle Pony...you'll see.**

 **Guest: I'm probably not going to include any one-shots of Emma and Peter together within this story. I'm saving that for STNS or even a one-shot separate from this story. Peter is in this chapter but Emma's not. Peter being in this chapter is also not going to a common occasion.**

 **Thanks to all the follows, favorites, and reviews. Thanks to M, Ya Boi, and Mcduffie145 for also reviewing. Let me know what you think of the chapter.**

* * *

 ** _Potential Boyfriend: The Dumpster Diver_**

* * *

 **Location: Queens, New York**

 **Year: 2016**

Peter Parker.

This was the name of the guy, or boy, that Tony had discovered to be the Spiderling. The Spiderling who was a local hero around Queens and something of a curiosity of Tony's for the past couple months. That's how long the Spiderling had been on Tony's radar and Tony's curiosity about the masked hero had never even wavered. Tony liked to keep an eye on any enhanced individuals that made themselves noticed by the public and boy did Spiderling catch his eye. The guy could climb walls, stop a bus with seemingly his bare hands, and even created tensile strength webbing. Spiderling was both brains and brawns which put him at the top of Tony's list.

Tony had to admit he was a bit surprised at Spiderling's young age. He originally thought Spiderling was in his early to mid twenties but it turned out that the guy was even younger than he thought. In all honesty Tony didn't know many grown men who actually had the lack of dignity to wear pajamas like this kid seemed to be confident in wearing. Peter Parker was a fifteen year old kid from Queens who lived with his aunt and attended Midtown school of science and technology which wasn't an easy school to get into by any means. His parents had been killed in a plane crash when he three and his uncle had been murdered in a mugging last year. Tony wondered if family tragedy was an unspoken qualification to be a superhero. Probably.

It wasn't hard to find out who the Spiderling was with a small bit of research on Tony's part. The kid wasn't very good at covering tracks like most others were. There were other potential candidates Tony saw for the Avengers but it was Peter Parker that interested him the most. The kid came from basically nothing which was very humbling to Tony. In this teenage boy, Tony saw a lot of potential. With a little mentoring and an upgrade, Tony thought that he might even be great for the next step in the Avengers initiative. However, this wasn't the only thing that made Peter Parker stand out to Tony. It was more of the fact that the Spiderling was fifteen which was the same age as another potential Avenger that Tony knew a little too well.

Mini Cap.

Mini Cap who was the same exact age as Peter Parker as it would turn out. Both of the teenagers had lost a lot and both were enhanced in a few different ways. Tony could only assume the kid was enhanced in some way since he could lift a bus with his bare hands but he was still someone that was the same age as Emma. Tony thought that Emma and Peter might even be able to relate to each other on some level. The two were remarkably different but Tony thought that they might be able reach an understanding if they ever met. God knows that Emma needed a friend. The grumpy teenager didn't have any friends of her own and probably considered Steve to be her best friend. What kind of loser was friends with their grandpa?

This was the main reason Tony put his focus on Peter Parker. He thought maybe having someone around the compound that was the same age as Emma would be a good thing. They could do whatever the hell it was that teenagers did these days. The kid was probably also fairly normal for someone who had abilities since it wasn't likely that he had these abilities for very long. It would be good for Emma to have someone who was normal. She needed someone her own age and who better than this kid?

Tony had actually been planning on finally recruiting Peter Parker to the pre-Avengers initiative before all the stuff went down with the accords. When Steve, Sam, and Barnes went on the run, Tony found himself at a loss as to what to do. It wasn't until he remembered a certain Spiderling that he realized that he was going to have to bring the kid into this way sooner than what he originally planned. So Natasha went to get T'Challa while Tony headed all the way to Queens to retrieve the kid. That's how he found himself in the normal looking apartment building although Tony was slightly apprehensive about leaving his expensive car outside. Oh, well. He could always buy another one if it got stolen although that would be inconvenient. Tony was dealing with too much shit right now to worry about a stolen car.

Tony stood in the hallway awkwardly after knocking on the door a couple times. There was a couple kids sitting on the steps of the staircase staring at him who made Tony feel even more awkward. He really hoped someone answered the door soon because Tony really wasn't a patient person. Especially not when there was a couple creepy kids staring at him. He relaxed a bit when he heard footsteps from inside the apartment and reminded himself to smile as the apartment door swung open. A beautiful brunette woman stood in the doorway with a slightly confused look on her face as she looked at him. He assumed that this was Mr. Parker's aunt. Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was actually someone's aunt?

"Yes? May I help you?" May Parker inquired as she looked at him. It was then, however, that the woman's eyes widened in recognition as she stared back at him. Of course she knew who this man was. Her nephew only talked about this man all the time. "Y-you-you're-" May stuttered and Tony just continued giving her a charming smile, hoping that she was going to buy into his act of bullshit.

"Tony Stark." Tony introduced and May nodded slowly.

"Yes, I can see that. May Parker." She introduced in response before giving the man a confused look. "I'm sorry. Why are you here? It's just that it's not every day Iron Man shows up outside my apartment." Tony chuckled.

"Right…I'm actually here about your nephew." Tony told her but May still looked confused.

"Peter?" She questioned and Tony nodded.

"I'm here about the grant he applied for…the September Foundation." Tony informed her, using the story he made up, and she still looked confused which Tony had counted on.

"What grant?" She asked and Tony feigned a confused look.

"You mean he hasn't said anything?" Tony questioned and May shook her head slowly.

"I don't know anything about any sort of grant." May said in bewilderment.

"Well, I can explain it to you if you like but I'd also like to talk to Peter about it. You know...work out some finer details and what not." Tony told her and May nodded furiously.

"Of course. Sorry, I've been so rude." May said as she moved aside to let him into the apartment. "Please come in."

"Thank you." Tony told her, flashing her a wide smile, as he walked into the apartment. He looked around the apartment curiously as he tried to get a feel of what the kid was like. The apartment was small but very cozy looking. It looked a lot more lived in than any one of his houses looked. Pictures hung on the walls showing everything from Peter's school pictures to happy moments with his aunt and deceased uncle.

"Can I get you some coffee or anything?" May asked as she made her way into the kitchen. Tony was still observing the apartment.

"Coffee sounds great." Tony said distractedly as his eyes remained glued to a school picture of Peter that looked to be more recent. He raised his eyebrows because the kid in the picture didn't look anything like the intel he collected recently. The kid in the school picture looked very scrawny and nerdy with a pair of glasses adorning his face. The Peter Parker he had managed to get pictures of, from his Facebook and Twitter accounts, looked more filled out than this. The kid no longer wore glasses either which was curious to him.

"You're going to have to wait a little bit until Peter gets home. School just got out not that long ago so he should be on his way home right now." May told Tony as she walked into the living room with a cup of coffee in her hand and a loaf of some kind of mysterious looking bread on a napkin. The brunette then took a seat on the couch and Tony followed suit as he brought his attention to Peter's aunt.

"I just made the walnut date loaf bread fresh this morning." May told him cheerfully and although Tony thought the bread looked disgusting, he thought it was best if he was as polite as possible to this woman. Something told him that this woman was probably oblivious to her nephew's secret life. The way she reacted to him at the door told Tony that much. Tony faked an appreciative smile as he bit into the most disgusting bread he had ever tasted. This kid better be worth it, Tony thought to himself.

"It's great." Tony lied and May smiled in thanks. It was then, however, that a more serious expression came over her face as she looked at the billionaire.

"This must be some grant if Tony Stark came all way to Queens just to greet the recipient." May said nervously and Tony nodded.

"Well, your nephew's really impressive. Smart kid." Tony told her and a proud look suddenly came over the brunette's face.

"He is…Ben and I always thought he took after his father. His father was the same way." May told him and Tony nodded.

"He's got a lot of potential and I think he'll really do a lot of good with the grant." Tony said as he tried to make the cover story seem more concrete and believable. May smiled and was about to respond with an answer to his statement when they both heard the front door unlock before opening. Tony turned his head as he heard the footsteps entering the apartment.

"Hey, May." Peter Parker greeted as he entered the apartment, his earbuds in his ears as he listened to his music.

"Hey!" May said as Peter distractedly set his backpack and dvd player on the table before heading into the kitchen for a quick bite to eat. She then exchanged an excited look with Tony, anxious to surprise her nephew with one of his idols. The only thing that could've made this better for Peter was if Captain America also popped in. "How was school today?"

"It was okay." Peter said as he began to walk out of the kitchen. "There's this crazy car parked outside…" Peter then seemed to be at a loss for words as he spotted a very familiar looking person sitting next to May. Not because Peter knew him personally but because he was one of Peter's idols. Peter had read countless stories about the man and his technological advances. Not to mention it was Iron Man sitting there. His eyes widened as he stared at none other than Tony Stark sitting in his living room, eating his aunt's awful walnut date loaf.

"Oh, Mr. Parker." Tony greeted as he stared back at the kid, taking a good look at him. The Spiderling didn't look much different from any other teenage boy. He wore jeans, a hoodie, and a simple white t-shirt with an odd graphic design on it. Tony supposed that the kid was even sort of cute with his big brown eyes and the whole wide eyed innocent look he had about him. Of course Tony didn't mean that _he_ thought he was cute because that would be weirdly creepy but maybe he was cute for Mini Cap. Right? Emma was still a teenage girl. She was supposed to like boys and One Direction. This kid looked like the kind of boy teenage girls were supposed to fawn over so maybe Spiderling would do her some good, after all. Peter then finally took his earbuds out of his ears as he stepped closer to his aunt and Tony Stark. A part of him wondered if he was imagining all of this. Ned always said he had a weird imagination.

"Um…what-what are you doing? Hey…" Peter said as he stumbled over his words and then let out a nervous laugh, crossing his arms as he looked at Tony Stark. "I-I'm Peter."

"Tony." The billionaire introduced with an amused look on his face. He was starting to realize that, although Mini Cap and this kid were the same age with dead parents and powerful abilities, they were nothing alike. This kid seemed warm and welcoming which was something he never felt after being in the same room with Emma.

"Wait…what are you-what are you doing here?" Peter said as he stumbled over his words yet again. He could barely contain himself. Peter was actually in the same room as Tony Stark right now. Ned would flip out if he knew.

"It's about time we met. You've been getting my e-mails, right?" Tony said as he winked at the teenage boy. Peter felt like he had to go along with it although he had no idea what this was about.

"Yeah. Regarding the…" Peter trailed off because he wasn't sure why Tony Stark was winking at him and why Tony Stark was even sitting there eating May's gross date loaf.

"You didn't tell me about the grant." May said, sounding confused as to why Peter never bothered to tell her something huge like that. This didn't help Peter's confusion.

"About the grant." Peter said although he still felt at a total loss. Grant? What grant?

"The September Foundation." Tony said as if he was reminding him of this fact. Peter nodded like he actually knew what Tony was talking about.

"Right." Peter said in agreement while Tony just looked extremely casual about the whole thing.

"Yeah, remember when you applied?" Tony inquired but Peter was still dumbstruck. September Foundation? Peter never applied for anything like that. In fact, he hadn't applied for any sort of grant whatsoever. What was Tony Stark even talking about?

"Yeah…" Peter said but it sounded more like a question. May was the only one who truly looked excited about this news. Peter just found it hard to be excited since he had no idea what this was about.

"I approved…so now we're in business." Tony said casually before taking a sip of his coffee.

"You didn't tell me anything. What's up with that?" May asked as she gave her a nephew a look of disbelief. "You keeping secrets from me now?"

"I-I just know how much you love surprises so I thought I would let you know what…" Peter lied horribly before trailing off as he gave Tony Stark a questioning look. Suddenly looking very interested in whatever this grant was. "Anyways, what did I apply for?"

"That's what I'm here to hash out." Tony explained, remaining a little too calm as Peter crossed his arms again.

"Okay…hash out." Peter said as he nodded furiously. Tony then chuckled at the kid's nervous demeanor as he turned back to May.

"It's so hard for me to believe that she's someone's aunt." Tony said and May laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, well, we come in all shapes and sizes, you know." May told him.

"This date loaf is exceptional." Tony lied as he flashed her another charming smile, obviously wanting to get on her good side.

"Let me just stop you there." Peter interrupted and Tony returned his attention back to the teenager.

"Yeah?"

"Does this grant, like, got money involved or whatever? No? Yeah?" Peter inquired curiously and Tony tried to hide his smirk behind the date loaf. This kid was too much.

"Yeah, it's pretty well funded. Look at who you're talking to." Tony told him nonchalantly as Peter nodded, seemingly amazed. The billionaire also couldn't help but to add another discreet remark which made him wish that Mini Cap was here so she could witness him teasing her. It wasn't like the kid would get it anyways. "There's some other benefits that might be involved too."

"Really? Like what kind of benefits?" Peter asked him curiously and this time Tony didn't hide his smirk. A certain blonde haired teenager popped into his mind at that very moment.

"Oh, you know…the usual variety. Travel, internships, and forming close bonds with other like minded people or maybe just a scary and moody individual in particular." Tony told him but Peter just looked entirely confused by Tony's odd and random statement.

"Uh…okay." Peter managed to say as Tony turned back to May.

"Can I have five minutes with him?" Tony asked May who just smiled as she nodded. May was still in a state of awe and pride for her nephew. Because of the pride May felt for Peter, she was completely oblivious to the real reason Tony Stark had shown up to their apartment. Tony, however, had a plan in mind as he looked at the kid although it wasn't what he had originally planned. He was going to need the kid for this thing with Cap but this wasn't what he had intended. Tony didn't know where Mini Cap currently was in the world. Last he heard she was in London but he doubted that she was still there. Even so, Tony had a strong feeling that she was going to back up Steve on this one. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Emma wouldn't find a way to help Steve and her little assassin buddy. Tony had hoped that he would be able to introduce Emma and Peter under better circumstances but when had anything ever gone his way before? Tony barely paid attention as May agreed to his request because he was that lost in his thoughts.

"Sure."

* * *

Tony followed Peter in his room, making sure to close the door and lock it behind him so May wouldn't discover the real reason he had come all this way. Somehow he didn't think she would like Tony trying to recruit her young nephew to his cause. Tony then made a beeline for the trashcan before spitting out the date loaf he had regrettably put in his mouth. He still couldn't believe he had actually even tasted it. It seemed like Peter's aunt certainly didn't have a talent for baking although who did? Tony had once almost burned down the kitchen when he tried making something for Pepper that one time.

"As walnut date loafs go, that wasn't bad." Tony told him as he looked back at the kid who seemed beyond confused at this point. Tony couldn't really blame him. The billionaire then took a look around the tiny bedroom. It was messy as expected from a teenage boy but what caught Tony's curious eye was all the vintage looking tech that the kid had stacked on top of his desk.

"Oh…what do we have here? Retro tech. Huh?" Tony said as he observed the old looking computer among other things. "Thrift Store? Salvation Army?" Peter blushed.

"Uh…the garbage actually." Peter said shyly and Tony gave him a look of disbelief.

"You're a dumpster diver?" Tony said although it didn't really sound much like a question. The billionaire couldn't believe himself. The kid who was a potential Avenger candidate as well as a potential boyfriend for Mini Cap was also a dumpster diver. Well, it's not like Mini Cap could really afford to be picky anyways. She was no perfect angel herself now, was she? In all honesty Tony couldn't really afford to be picky right now either. He didn't have a lot of time on his hands.

"Yeah, I was…" Peter trailed off as he tried to explain himself but he realized that he was becoming distracted. Tony Stark was here about a grant but Peter knew that he didn't apply for a grant. So why was the famous billionaire standing in his bedroom of all places when he should've been out there saving the world and doing whatever Iron Man does. "Anyways, look, I definitely did not apply for your grant-"

"Nope." Tony interrupted and Peter immediately fell silent. "Me first."

"Okay." Peter agreed.

"Quick question of the rhetorical variety." Tony stated as he then pulled out his Stark Phone with the holographic screen. The advanced and expensive technology immediately captured Peter's interest until he saw what was displayed on the screen. Spider-Man. "That's you, right?" Peter suddenly grew very pale as he stared at the video of Spider-Man stopping a bus from crashing into a couple of cars. He immediately crossed his arms as he tried to keep his cool.

"Uh, no." Peter said, trying to play dumb.

"Look at you go." Tony said, not believing Peter for a moment. He already knew Peter was Spider-Man. Tony was just there to recruit him. "Wow. Nice catch. 3,000 pounds. 40 miles an hour. That's not easy. You've got mad skills."

"T-That's all on YouTube, right?" Peter said as he continued to deny what Tony already knew. "I mean that's where you found that…because you know that's all fake. It's all done on a computer." Tony just nodded as he started eyeing the small attic door on the ceiling with suspicion. No, this kid wasn't discreet at all. A terrible liar and terrible at keeping secrets. Tony thought that maybe Mini Cap could teach him a thing or two there.

"It's like that video." Peter told him and Tony picked up a wooden stick that was propped up against Peter's desk.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You mean like those UFO lights over Phoenix." Tony said, deciding to humor him. The kid was completely oblivious to Tony's intentions as Tony raised the stick in the air.

"Exactly." Peter said as Tony then pushed the attic door open with the stick and Peter's Spider-Man costume came flying out. Peter quickly raced over to the costume, catching it and immediately hiding it in his arms before throwing it into the closet. He then leaned casually against the wall, trying to seem as nonchalant as Tony was. Tony walked over to the teenage boy who stared at him with wide eyes. Everything suddenly seemed more serious than it had before.

"So you're the Spiderling? Crime-fighting Spider?" Tony questioned as he locked eyes with the young boy. "Spider-Boy?"

"I-I'm Spider-Man." Peter said weakly, avoiding Tony's eye contact as he looked down at the floor.

"Not in that onesie, you're not." Tony told him and Peter looked back up at the famous billionaire.

"It's not a onesie." Peter said defensively as he walked to the other side of the room. Tony immediately picked up the poorly made Spider-Man costume to give it another look. "Believe it, I was actually having a really good day today, Mr. Stark. I didn't miss the train. I found this perfectly good dvd player that was just sitting there and my algebra test…nailed it."

"Who else knows? Anybody?" Tony asked him curiously and Peter shook his head.

"Nobody." Peter told him.

"Not a friend or a cute girlfriend?" Tony continued to ask, mainly for Mini Cap if no one else. He had to make sure Mini Cap had a shot here or not. A part of Tony wanted to snicker despite the seriousness of the situation. It really sucked that things were the way they were because he could just see Mini Cap giving him that famous death glare of hers before she threatened to murder him in his sleep. Classic Mini Cap.

"What? No!" Peter said as he blushed, looking both embarrassed and shocked at Mr. Stark's weird question. "Of course not. I-I don't have a girlfriend." Somehow Tony suspected that but this could be a good thing if everything turned out alright with Cap and the others in the end. Well, this was turning out very nicely for Mini Cap. Spiderling was apparently available. Good to know.

"Your unusually attractive aunt doesn't know either?" Tony questioned, changing the subject and Peter immediately forgot about Mr. Stark's weird girlfriend remark.

"No, no, no." Peter told Tony adamantly as he furiously shook his head. "If she knew then she would freak out…and when she freaks out, I freak out."

"You know what I think is really cool? This webbing." Tony said as he held up a vile of Peter's webbing before throwing it at him. The teenage boy caught it in his hand easily with perfect reflexes.

"The tensile strength is off the charts. Who manufactured that?" Tony asked him although he had a sneaking suspicion who it was.

"I did." Peter said, confirming Tony's suspicions before tossing it back to the other side of the room. Tony then turned his attention back to the suit.

"Climbing the wall?" Tony inquired curiously although he also had a sneaking suspicion that enhanced strength and speed weren't the only things that Peter could do. This kid seemed like he was just packed full of surprises. "Adhesive gloves?"

"It's a uh…long story. I was-" Peter started to say but was interrupted as Tony grabbed the Spider-Man mask before looking through the tacky looking goggles attached to the mask.

"Lordy, can you even see in these?" Tony questioned and Peter moved over to snatch the mask from Tony's grasp.

"Yes. I can." Peter said as he ripped the mask out of Tony's clutches. Peter was beginning to think there was something very odd about Tony Stark. For an Avenger, he was astoundingly immature.

"I can see in those, okay?" Peter told him as he started to explain himself. "It's just that whenever happened, happened…It's like my senses have been dialed to eleven. There's way too much input so they kind of help me focus."

"You're in dire need of an upgrade." Tony told him. "Systemic. Top to bottom. One hundred point restoration. That's why I'm here." Tony paused briefly as Peter sat on the edge of his twin bed. A serious expression came over the billionaire's face as he locked eyes with the teenager.

"Why are you doing this?" Tony asked him and this was the real test. The test to see if this was the guy he was looking for. "I gotta know. What's your MO? What gets you out of that twin bed in the morning?" Peter sighed heavily before answering.

"Because…because I've been me my whole life." Peter said as he tried to find the right words to describe his actions. "And I've had these powers for six months." Tony nodded at him, telling Peter that he had his full and undivided attention.

"I read books. I build computers and yeah, I would love to play football but I couldn't then so I shouldn't now." Peter explained and Tony felt like he was beginning to understand what the kid was saying. He understood exactly what he was saying. In a way he might've even reminded him of Steve a little. Tony, of course, had never known Steve when the super soldier was small and weak but he knew that Steve never let the fact that he was different now get to his head. He used his abilities for good and that was the extent of it. Tony was pissed off at Steve right now but the similarities between himself and the kid were there. He could just tell.

"Sure. Because you're different." Tony finally said and Peter nodded.

"Exactly but I can't tell anybody that so I'm not." Peter swallowed hard as he then thought of Uncle Ben and the way he had failed him. He knew he was doing the right thing now but that didn't change what happened in the past. He had failed then but maybe he could still make up for it in some way…a way Uncle Ben would approve of. Tony then leaned forward as Peter continued to tell Tony his motive.

"When you can do the things that I can but you don't and then the bad things happen…they happen because of you." Peter finally finished speaking and Tony looked down at the ground, overcome with emotions. Despite how much the kid reminded him of Steve, he still knew what he had to do. Tony had to stop the bad things from happening before they happened. That's what the accords were for and he couldn't let anyone deter him from his path. Not even Steve.

"So you want to look out for the little guy? You want to do your part to make the world a better place. Right?" Tony said, trying to distract himself from the thought of the Avengers and their path to being torn apart.

"Yeah, just looking out for the little guy. That's what it is." Peter said as he nodded in agreement. Tony got up from his chair before he walked the short distance to Peter's small bed. He looked down at the teenager expectantly.

"I'm going to sit here so you move your leg." Tony told him and even after the past two years spent with Mini Cap, he still had no idea how to talk to teenagers. If it helped any, Tony wasn't so sure Emma really counted as a teenager. Peter quickly moved his leg and Tony immediately sat down next to him. He patted him on the shoulder awkwardly as a million thoughts ran through his mind. When this whole thing was over, Tony knew that he was going to introduce Emma to the kid. He had been joking about the boyfriend thing before but he was serious about the kid maybe becoming a friend to her. The kid was sweet, smart, and had great moral integrity. He would be a good influence on her and Mini Cap would be a good influence on him in terms of training and gaining some confidence. The two would balance each other out. That much Tony could already tell.

"You got a passport?" Tony asked him and Peter laughed.

"No, I don't…I don't even have a driver's license."

"You've ever been to Germany?" Tony said, ignoring the kid's answer.

"No."

"Oh, you'll love it." Tony told him sincerely and Peter gave him a bewildered look. Tony Stark must really be insane.

"I can't go to Germany."

"Why?" Tony asked and Peter tried to think of something to say to that. There was about a million reasons why he couldn't go to Germany. He just couldn't. No one just upped and left for a country randomly. No one did that…well, maybe Tony Stark did but not Peter. Sure, Spider-Man was interesting but that was Spider-Man. Peter was just…Peter Parker. He wasn't anything particularly special if you asked anyone at school. Liz Allan didn't even know he existed.

"I got homework." Peter told him honestly and Tony rolled his eyes at him. Yeah, this kid would definitely be an amazing influence on Mini Cap because Tony could already tell that Peter was a little goody two shoes. Mini Cap needed to have a friend like that.

"Alright. I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." Tony replied as he got up from the bed and began to make his way towards Peter's bedroom door.

"I'm being serious." Peter argued as he watched Tony closely. "I can't just drop out of school."

"It might be a little dangerous." Tony said as he completely ignored the teenager. "You might want to tell Aunt Hottie that I'm taking you out on a field trip." However, the second Tony put his hand on the door knob, Peter flung his wrist out and shot his webbing at Tony's hand. The webbing glued Tony's hand to the doorknob, causing Tony to look back up at him.

"Don't tell Aunt May." Peter told Tony, the both of them locking eyes once more.

"Alright, Spider-Man." Tony stated as they were locked into a serious staring contest. A few seconds passed before Tony quickly grew tried of being stuck to the door with Peter's webbing. A look of annoyance quickly passed over his face. "Get me out of this." Peter blushed.

"Sorry." He apologized before he moved across the room to find something to get Tony out of the webbing.

Peter didn't realize it then but the day Tony Stark showed up at his apartment was also the day his life changed forever. His path to becoming the hero he became later was all thanks in part to Tony Stark who created that path for him…Peter's path in becoming an Avenger. It wasn't just the numerous new and improved Spider-Man suits that Peter gained from meeting Tony Stark or even all the mentoring he received from the billionaire. Not even the father figure he always wanted after Uncle Ben's death. No, it was something else entirely. The truth was that Peter met the love of his life because of Tony Stark and for that he would be eternally grateful. Peter would never stop thanking Tony for everything he could've ever asked for and more.

Because Emma was more…she was always more.


	5. Sleeping Beauty: The Face of Innocence

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated this story. I was just caught up with my other stories and life so I never had the time until now. I also didn't know what one shot to do next until I had the idea for one. This one shot takes place right after the Avengers rescue Emma from Hydra. Emma doesn't really have a speaking role in this one shot since she's unconscious. This is mainly just the other Avengers' perspective on her upon first sight.**

 **I know it's a stupid question but have you seen the Avengers: Endgame trailer? I'm so excited for it that I can barely contain myself. It's a trailer that gave us so much yet so little. I have way more questions than before. My heart actually broke a little when I saw Peter's face on the screen Bruce was looking at to look through all the missing people in the aftermath of the snap. I'm still a little in denial about what happened but hopefully he'll be back and all my sadness will be for nothing.**

 **Anna: I fully intend to write a one shot about the time Emma threw her temper tantrum with Bucky. I've wanted to write it for a long time but I'm not sure when I'll write it. The next chapter is probably going to be another one shot about baby Emma and Tony.**

 **marylopez0812: There will be many more moments of Emma following Bucky around to come. Probably the one shot after next will be another Emma/Bucky one shot.**

 **Athena05: I never really thought of doing those ideas before but I really like them so I'll eventually try although I can't say when. I know I'll definitely do a one shot or two about Bucky being on the run and thinking of Emma. I like the one about Steve discovering that he has a family before learning that they're also dead. It must've been a really difficult and emotional time for him so I really want to explore that. I also plan to have a one shot with Steve and Peggy back in forties.**

 **By the way, if people have requests for one shots I'm really open minded about them. As long as they stay true to the characters and they're not already something we've seen then I'm likely to write them. It probably won't happen soon but eventually.**

 **Thanks to Miss Victoria 20, Assbitch67, ChanceToBeImmortal, M, and JustJoyce for reviewing. Thanks for all the follows and favorites too. I really appreciate it and the next on my update schedule is STNS. I'm actually going to be focusing on nothing but that story until I finish it by hopefully next month. I'm not sure when the chapter will be out since it's a long one but probably not as long as last time. Thanks again and please let me know what you think of the chapter.**

* * *

 **Location: Quinjet**

 **Year: 2014**

All the others had already returned to the Quinjet before Steve, Natasha, and Clint walked aboard with a certain unconscious teenage assassin in Steve's arms. There wasn't many Hydra agents at the base in Argentina but all of them refused to be taken prisoner, fighting to their last dying breath. There was no sign of Loki's scepter but they were still able to make use of the flashdrive Bucky managed to send them. Emma had been at the base, after all, much to Steve's relief although he wasn't sure how relieved he was now that he had seen the state she was in.

Steve wasn't stupid.

He didn't expect to walk into the base and have the teenage girl come running into his arms. Steve was prepared for a girl who had been through a lot of trauma and pain in her lifetime despite how happy he was that he had a living relative. He previously believed his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter had all tragically died in a house fire. Steve had accepted the fact that his only family had died before he ever got the chance to meet them. Even though he accepted it, he was still devastated.

Steve had nightmares almost every night, not just of Peggy and the plane going down in the ocean, but of his family burning alive in that house. His son and daughter-in-law screaming for help but his granddaughter, the cute little girl in the pictures with the blonde pigtails, screaming the loudest. It was enough to say that Steve probably hadn't had a good night's rest since 1945.

However, now that he knew that she had made it out alive, Steve couldn't be happier. Of course, he was furious that she had ended up in Hydra's hands and not to mention even a bit guilty that there could be nothing done to take it all back. It broke Steve's heart to know that his granddaughter, his only living relative, was put in that kind of situation because of him.

Steve glanced down at the unconscious girl in his arms as he carried her on board the Quinjet. She looked so peaceful and calm as she slept. There was no trace of the angry and resentful looking girl that had looked at him so coldly back in the Hydra base. Steve didn't think he could forget the look in her eyes. So much hate and distrust. Steve remembered the shock he felt as he looked into her eyes because no one that young should look at someone that way.

Tony, Bruce, and Thor had all been chatting amongst each other as they waited for the others to return. However, they ceased their conversation the moment Steve set foot on the Quinjet with an unconscious teenager in his arms. Steve carefully set her down on one of the cots on the Quinjet and all the others, except for Clint and Natasha, rushed over to see her. Thor nearly shoved Tony and Bruce to the ground in all his excitement. The god of thunder eagerly looked upon the child as Steve worried over what kind of condition she might've been in.

"Congratulations, Steve." Thor told his friend happily with a huge grin on his face. "You have a very beautiful granddaughter and a warrior at that. Valhalla has given you many blessings. You must be very proud." Steve didn't really know what to say to that so he just gave the Asgardian a weak smile before looking back at Emma. Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed heavily from her seat next to Clint, still cradling her broken arm no thanks to the very blonde who lay unconscious.

"Thor, let's not forget how many people she's killed." Natasha said bluntly and Clint nudged her gently.

"Come on, Nat. Steve's right there." Clint said, not wanting Natasha to upset Steve. The super soldier had been in an almost trace-like state ever since they discovered his granddaughter was very much alive. On one hand, Steve was happy she was alive but on the other hand he was devastated to learn that she had been taken by Hydra and forced to do things that no child, let alone a person, should ever have to face.

It was safe to say that everyone was walking on eggshells around him. Even Tony seemed less inclined to tease Steve which Clint might've understood. Tony had been very close with Steve's son or so Margot told him when she was still alive. Clint couldn't deny he had been very sympathetic with Tony's unusual silence since learning Emma was still alive. It had all come to a shock to them and Clint was still reeling from the news.

"I'm not trying to be a hypocrite here but we still need to be cautious around this girl. She's not some poor kid from a broken home." Natasha explained to the men on the Quinjet, wanting to make sure everyone was on the same page. "She's a highly trained and skilled assassin with enhancements we have yet to uncover. This girl is probably a very gifted manipulator and liar as well."

"Stop it, Natasha." Steve bit out, his eyes still locked onto Emma's face...his granddaughter's face. The redhead refused to stop. Not because she had anything against the girl, because she didn't, but Natasha wanted to make sure that her teammates understood that Steve's granddaughter wasn't just some cute kid with an innocent face. Natasha knew exactly what the blonde was capable of but she didn't have faith in the men on the team. All of them, except for maybe Clint, were easily manipulated by a pretty face. The girl would use that against them if she had to.

"I'm being realistic, Steve." Natasha said, her face serious as she looked from face to face. All of them already seemed in awe of the blonde teenager but Natasha wanted to make sure they understood what they were facing here. "She's not going to be talking boy problems with you and listening to One Direction. If that's what you guys think then you'll be dead before the week's over." She only paused briefly before continuing her lecture as the others listened to her.

"I know because I was like her when I defected from the KGB. I know her because I _was_ her." Natasha admitted as the others just remained silent. "You have to remember that she's lied, stolen, and killed for the majority of her life. She's not going to come out of Hydra and turn into a normal teenage girl. You've seen the flashdrive. This girl's a ruthless killer."

"Well, she doesn't have to do that anymore." Steve said quietly, trying to not get too angry at Natasha. He understood that she was just telling everyone to be careful but he still didn't like hearing it. It was just so difficult for Steve to imagine this young girl, someone so innocent looking, committing those kinds of acts. Taking lives was something that he at times struggled with, even if it was for the common good, so he couldn't imagine what something like that would do to someone her age. _She shouldn't know what it meant to take a life_ , Steve thought to himself.

"Steve, she's still not going to trust any of us. She might let you think that she does but it'll be more for your comfort than it will be for hers." Natasha told him honestly before she looked at all the others. "We're going to have to earn her trust just like she'll have to earn ours."

"So you're saying we're basically dealing with a mini Winter Soldier?" Bruce asked carefully as he eyed the blonde curiously. None of them seemed to fathom what this girl was capable of.

"Basically. I'm just saying that we can't let our guard down around her. Not even for a second." Natasha told them.

"Either way, you have to admit she looks a lot like you, Cap." Clint told him from his spot next to Natasha. His whole body was still sore from the fight with her but there was no hard feelings. Emma was just a kid, after all.

"Just a whole lot prettier...fortunately for her." Tony quipped but he couldn't help but draw the comparison between not only Steve and the unconscious girl but her dad and the girl too. The same blonde hair, similar jawline, and the same eyes as well. Tony always thought she looked a lot like her dad when she was little but she looked even more like him now although her looks were more feminine. He felt the same sad feeling wash over him as the moment he saw Steve for the first time two years ago. Now that he was standing there on the Quinjet with both Steve and Emma in his line of sight, he realized how much it hurt simply because they looked so much like Steven. Steven who was the closest thing Tony ever had to a male role model in his life.

The billionaire finally tore his gaze away from the unconscious girl who Tony was having trouble associating with the little girl who used to smile and laugh all the time. He used to be annoyed by the girl's hyperness and overall happiness but now he was suddenly realizing that same little girl was probably long gone. Replaced by the person who was now known as the Viper Assassin. It hurt to look at her so Tony didn't.

"Steve, you know we'll help her in any way we can." Bruce told the troubled looking super soldier, trying to be reassuring. "No matter what." Tony decided to swallow whatever guilt and hurt feelings he had and forced a smile on his face as he looked at Steve.

"Pepper and I will set up a room for her back at the tower on your floor. It'll be every teenager's dream." Tony said before casting a curious look over to Natasha. "We probably shouldn't paint the room pink, right? Pink's not an assassin's color, is it?"

"Probably not." Natasha said dryly and Steve gave Tony a grateful look, knowing that Tony's joke was just a way of him keeping the situation light. He normally didn't like how little the billionaire took anything seriously but he could excuse that behavior in this instance.

"Thank you, Tony." Steve told him, attempting to look as grateful as he felt even though he was still worried about the unconscious blonde lying in front of him.

"Don't mention it, Cap." Tony said, appearing nonchalant about the whole ordeal as he locked eyes with the famous super soldier.

"Should we take off then?" Clint inquired, changing the subject as he reminded everyone that they probably shouldn't stick around the Hydra base for too long.

"Yeah. I'll get things ready for take off." Tony said as he didn't waste any time leaving to go pilot the Quinjet until they were in the air and Jarvis could take over. Steve finally tore his gaze away from Tony and looked at his still passed out granddaughter, his gaze immediately softened as he noticed the way her chest rose and fell with every break she took. Emma was resting now but what was going to happen when she was awake? Would she be happier? Angrier? Steve didn't know but he just hoped that she didn't hate him. It was all he could hope for, really. She was all he had left in this world, after all.

"She really is beautiful, Steve. You will have to fend off many suitors in the future. This cannot be denied." Thor told the blonde man as he clapped his hand on Steve's back. Unlike most, Steve didn't stumble from the action. He just nodded as a small smile came across his face, his eyes never leaving Emma's face.

"I know."


End file.
